Protecting Warehouse Workers: 10 Safety Measures to Implement

Warehouses are considered high-hazard workplaces. Common cause of injury include: -

·??????? Lifting, pushing, carrying, and so on.

·??????? Bending, reaching, slipping, or sitting.

·??????? Falls, including falls to other levels.

·??????? Being struck by objects dropped from a higher level. This could include dropped cases or collapsing shelving units.

Less common but severe in their consequences are injuries caused by reparative motions, being struck, or tangled in machinery, fires, explosions, or exposure to hazardous materials.

Below are the top 10 warehouse workplace safety measures: -

1.????? Training- e.g., proper equipment operations, tactics to avoid repetitive stress and back injuries, renewable certification required for operating equipment such as forklift trucks, emergency protocols etc.

2.????? Redesigning warehouse process to avoid foreseeable accidents and injuries-e.g., separating the put away and picking functions, removing keys from ignitions of equipment, changing workstations to avoid awkward bending, changing scanning method to avoid repetitive motions, immediate spill cleanup.

3.????? Redesigning the workplace for safety- e.g., installing signage to alert workers to hazards and encourage safe behavior, ensuring ample lighting and ventilation, improve lines of sight, installing guards’ rails where falls May occur, installing defibrillators and eye wash basins.

4.????? Policies - e.g., using forklift or other mechanized equipment to lift or move heavy items, use harnesses when working above a certain height, no climbing on shelving units, no motorized equipment in designated areas/aisles, no cell phone use outside break rooms to minimize distractions.

5.????? Protective personal equipment- e.g., gloves and goggles, respirator or dust masks, hazmat suits.

6.????? Safeguard devices on warehouse equipment- e.g., harnesses, speed governors, warning lights and sounds, heat shields, guard rails.

7.????? Control Electrical Hazards- Promote safe electrical wiring methods, especially when dealing with temporary wiring, cable trays, and open wiring on insulators.

8.????? Emergency Ready- Maintain operational features for exit routes like appropriate marking, and operable employee alarm system.

9.????? Preventive Maintenance- Regularly inspect and maintain machineries, equipment, tools, and the building structure itself to keep employees and visitors safe.

10.?? Period Audits of workplace conditions and compliance with policies and processes.